Directed and produced by Gary Sinise, the film features Sinise as George Milton, alongside John Malkovich as Lennie Small, with Casey Siemaszko as Curley, John Terry as Slim, Ray Walston as Candy, Joe Morton as Crooks, and Sherilyn Fenn as Curley's wife.

The film explores themes of discrimination, loneliness, and the American Dream, as well as the desire for a place to call home.

During the Great Depression, quick-witted George Milton and physically strong but mentally disabled Lennie Small are fleeing their previous employment, where Lennie was accused of attempted rape after he held onto a young woman’s dress, prompted by his love of stroking soft things.

They befriend old one-handed ranch-hand Candy but dislike the Boss' son, Curley, who hates people bigger than him.

Curley's wife enters and admits her loneliness, confiding that her dreams of being a movie star were crushed.

Curley leads a lynch mob but George finds Lennie first and calms him by retelling their dream.

His drama class went to Guthrie Theater and observed three plays in two days, one being Of Mice and Men.

After viewing the play, he "stood up and applauded" and "was trying to scream some sort of acknowledgement of my feelings ... but I was so choked up nothing came out except tears."

[3] After viewing Of Mice and Men, critic Don Marshall noted how the audience gave a standing ovation to its cast.

[6] The Los Angeles Daily News described the film's box office performance as poor.

[7] The most sincere compliment I can pay them is to say that all of them – writer and actors – have taken every unnecessary gesture, every possible gratuitous note, out of these characters.

The website's consensus reads: "Of Mice and Men honors its classic source material with a well-acted adaptation that stays powerfully focused on the story's timeless themes.

"[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.